LUCIA

DAMIAN(4)

The door opened quietly and the mild scent of tea wafted in. Hugo was buried in his work, not lifting his head, but when the sign of someone approaching didn't disappear, he lifted his gaze. He discovered his wife, standing there with a tea tray in her hands and his eyes grew wide.

"How come you're here?"

"Did I interrupt you? I would like some of your time. Is now okay?"

"Ah. Yes, now is fine."

Hugo swiftly got up and sat opposite of her on the sofa. Lucia filled the two teacups with tea and placed one in front of her husband and herself.

"I felt like it would be right to talk with you here because it's both a personal matter and formal matter."

Lucia placed the mail she had brought with her on the table. Hugo looked through the contents of the mail with an indifferent expression and as Lucia watched him put it back inside the envelope, she said:

"You know what this is about, right?"

"It's nothing big. He seems to have fought with his classmates."

"Is Damian hurt?"

Hurt? Damian's swordsmanship was at a professional level. The sword skills he learnt were the standard one, so they couldn't surpass the killing skills that Hugo learnt as a mercenary slave, but it would be difficult to find his match among his peers.

According to the reports, he could even win against his seniors that were three to four years older easily. By the time he graduated, he wouldn't lose to anyone in a pure swordsmanship match. The generations of men in the Taran family had sturdy constitutions. Equipped with the skill of innate ability, they had no opponent.

"It's fine. Kids fight as they grow."

As he watched Lucia breathe a sigh of relief, Hugo thought that she treated Damian too much like a child. He didn't know what she was so worried about when her son was already so much taller than her.

"So why is he suspended for a simple fight? What's going on? Was the child he fought greatly hurt?"

"It's not really that."

Hugo couldn't help but briefly explain what Damian's current situation was like. He explained that Damian lived hiding his status so there were guys who often came to look for his trouble and that this time, he received an unfair punishment. Hugo spoke lightly but Lucia's expression gradually hardened as she listened.

"So you're saying that Damian was ridiculously and unfairly punished."

"...Sounds about right."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Hugo didn't care much about it. He was going to just let it pass by. But when he was about to reply with, 'what am I supposed to do,' he felt like his wife's eyes would turn up sharply, so he quietly shut his mouth.

Lucia's maternal love was at its peak after giving birth and raising Evangeline. The knowledge that Damian was being oppressed at the Academy made unbearable anger surge within her. How dare they— to my son!

"Actually, I have been thinking about things regarding Damian."

Not long ago was Evangeline's first birthday. Hugo borrowed a hall in the royal palace and held an extravagant and grand birthday party. It was big enough for the attendees to insinuate that the party was bigger than Princess Selena's. Despite receiving a swarm of congratulatory messages, Lucia was disheartened by Damian's absence throughout.

When she sent Damian an invitation to attend, Damian replied that he was sorry, but it was difficult because he was in school. Damian truly couldn't spare time during the semester so he couldn't attend. However, Lucia took it differently, in that, she thought that Damian was averse to presenting himself before other people.